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Post-removal support available everywhere

Too many children enter care from parents who have already had a child removed from their care, creating significant trauma and contributing to record high costs to local authorities. Without support after a child is removed, parents are left struggling to cope with the existing difficulties that led to child removal, while facing the additional trauma, grief and stigma of losing a child. This can lead to further child removals – but evidence shows that with the right support, parents can stabilise, overcome trauma and make lasting change, avoiding repeat child removals. Despite the difference post-removal support is proven to make, it’s not available in more than half of local areas.

Pause wants to end repeat removals by ensuring support is available to all parents at risk of further removals, regardless of where they live.

Our publications

Policy position: Post-removal support available everywhere (2026)

This paper explains how providing post-removal support to parents effectively prevents repeat removals of children into care. In addition to sharing mothers’ lived experiences, it lays out the social and financial benefits of investing in post-removal support.

Never More Than Once (2023)

This report sets out how the government can better support birth families to ensure the removal of a child never happens more than once.

Learning from practice: Impact on children (2025) 

This short overview shares our reflections and learnings on the impact of the Pause Programme on children.

In a Mother’s Mind: Our co-created podcast episodes

A letter to my social worker

This episode discusses the impact of the letter Pause ambassador Vanessa wrote to the social worker who removed her children from her care.

Lack of support

In this episode, women discuss the lack of specialised post-removal support available to women who have had children removed from their care.

Stigma and judgment

In this episode, women discuss the stigma and judgement they and others  who have had children removed from their care face, and what can be done to erase it and better support them.

Other resources

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill call to action (2026)

This call to action, co-signed by 20 organisations, highlights the importance of ensuring post-removal support is available nationwide, and data is collected on the number of repeat child removals. 

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill amendment briefing (2025)

This briefing outlines how the Bill provides a crucial opportunity to prevent further child removals if it ensures post-removal support is available nationwide.

Never More Than Once Gallery (2024)

Our #NeverMoreThanOnce gallery showcases messages from more than 100 birth mothers working with Pause who share the changes they want to see.

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